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Ageing rocker or evergreen star? However you may regard French rock legend Johnny Hallyday you can’t help but admire this survivor of the Rock and Roll era.

Though Johnny Hallyday has never achieved ‘breakthrough’ with British and American audiences, in any pantheon of Rock and Roll greats ‘Johnny’ would be up there with Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and all the best.

The figures speak for themselves:

• 180 concert tours
• Performed before total audiences estimated at 28 million (slightly less than the half the entire population of France)
• More than 1000 recordings
• Composer of hundreds of songs
• Total record sales of 110 million plus
• 40 Gold Discs
• 22 Platinum Discs
• 73 albums both studio and live

Often regarded as France’s answer to Elvis Presley, ‘Johnny’ as he is affectionately known to his fans will embark on yet another ‘Tour de France’ starting in mid-May which will take in venues all over metropolitan France, one date in Geneva and there are even two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Johnny Hallyday’s latest tour has been titled ‘Avec Vous’, meaning ‘With You’,  a hat-tip to his millions of fans, perhaps, or maybe a spiritual reflection on the health problems the star has faced in recent years.

Hallyday made an announcement that he intended retiring from performing in June 2009 after what was billed as a farewell tour. In July 2009, however, Johnny Hallyday was diagnosed with colon cancer and was operated on almost immediately. Further health problems ensued and the star spent most of 2010 convalescing before making an emotional return to performing at Montpellier in December 2010.

Tour dates followed during 2011, but now, at 68 years young,  Johnny Hallyday is back for a major French tour.  For the moment, at least, there’s no more talk of any farewell tour.

Scheduled dates for the Johnny Hallyday Avec Vous Tour in Pays de la Loire as follows:

• 7^th July - Nantes, Loire-atlantique, Stade de Beaujoire (football stadium)
• 13^th July – Le Mans, Sarthe, MMArena (football stadium)
• 26^th July – Bretignolles-sur-Mer, Vendée, Open air festival

Tickets for all the Johnny Hallyday Avec Vous tour venues can be booked on line at Johnnylatournee.com

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